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I hate that she’s uncomfortable and suffering like this.
A stream to Mackenzie’s right draws my attention. Because of the bright moon, our reflections morph and twist in the water as we pass by.
But it’s the old church that sends an eerie feeling through my spine like the grim reaper is lying in wait for us inside.
The creepy, dilapidated church appears to have fallen into ruins. Tangled weeds and brush surround it, except for the small path that leads to the doors. If you saw it from a distance, you’d assume the church was abandoned. But it’s not. It’s used by this crazy cult and its insane leader for some ritual that we are about to become part of tonight.
Orpheus stops before we get to the steps, waiting as the cult members rush past us to the door. My mouth is as dry as cotton as the massive locks click open. They pull them from the door handles, sticking them in the pocket of their robes before yanking the doors wide.
Mackenzie turns her head to mine. The terror in her unblinking, bulging eyes cuts like a knife through my heart. Her body trembles, her pink lips part, white vapor circling above her into the chilly night sky.
I squeeze her hand reassuringly, my body a pillar of strength with my tense muscles and straight posture. What else can I give her right now when I’m bound and helpless?
I’m raging inside, wishing I had the strength to snap my shackles, kick the asses of every cult member lining the entrance before killing Orpheus. Then I’d throw Mackenzie over my shoulder and escape this godforsaken place.
Lifting my gaze to the sky, I focus on the brightest star and silently recite a prayer that will probably go unanswered. But it’s all I have.Let me burst my bonds apart and cast away the cult’s cords. Bestow on me the strength to escape this evil and rescue the only one who means more to me than anything. Amen.
I’m standing in front of an old stone altar, a pentagram with the name of the cult engraved into the stone. Huge metal clamps meant to restrain the victim surround it. Two at the bottom to keep the victim’s legs spread and one at the top to keep the victim’s wrists over their head.
Images of Mackenzie lying there, helplessly bound while these freaks surround her, have me struggling furiously against my shackles. The chains jiggle, echoing from the stone basement walls of the decrepit church, drawing Orpheus’s attention. His soulless eyes narrow behind the mask, never leaving mine as he extends a gloved hand toward Rosario, taking a leather-bound book from her hands before climbing the steps behind the altar.
When he’s in position and turns to face us, my eyes are drawn to a painting of him on the wall behind him. Orpheus sits on a throne made of stone and bones, a crow sitting on his left hand while one sits on his right shoulder. Five skulls surround the chair, each a slightly different size, lined up in front of his feet.
“Ah, I see you’re admiring my family.” Orpheus gestures to the skulls lined up beside the steps in front of him that I hadn’t noticed until now. “They failed to see my potential, doing their best to stifle what I knew I’d grow to be. Omnipotent.” He extends his arms out to the side, and the four cult members and Rosario immediately bow. “I was always superior to them, and they hated it.” He lowers his hands, his eyes locking on mine. “I tortured, raped, and killed them.”
Sick fuck.
I know he wants me to react, but I do my best to keep my face impassive, despite the disgust roiling inside my stomach.
“Prepare the girl for the ceremony.”
His words ignite a flame inside me. All sense of self-preservation leaves me as my protective urges kick in.
Gripping Mackenzie’s hands like a vice, I tug her against my chest. “Fuck you, assholes. I’ll never fucking allow it.” I glare at the four cult members who flank me, their eyes locked on Mackenzie. She whimpers, clinging to me. Rage fills me as I stare into the soulless eyes. “Listen, you fucking pussies. Leave her alone and do your worst to me.” My gaze lifts to Orpheus, knowing he holds all the power. “Remove the shackles and come at me. Or are you too scared I’ll kick your fucking ass?”
“Chase,” Mackenzie whimpers against the robe I’m wearing. I hate this fucking itchy thing, branding me as one of their sacrificial lambs. I’d like to rip the fucking thing off, tear it to shreds, and choke each fucker in the room with it.
I can feel the evil smile behind Orpheus’s black mask. “Boy wants to play first.”
With those words, the four descend on me so fast I don’t even have a chance to push Mackenzie away. We cling to each other’s hands as one of them pulls on her while two of them tug me, trying to separate us. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck, coursing down my spine, despite the cold, damp basement.
But I refuse to let go of her.
A fist slams against my nose with a sickening crack and my head flies back from the hit. I try to hang onto Mackenzie, but one of the cult members takes advantage by yanking her away from me.
The other two grab me, dragging me to the front of the altar while Mackenzie screams and struggles.
Mackenzie is no match for the massive freak who lowers her onto the cold slab, placing her feet in the metal stirrups. I fight against the men, trying to get to her, but I can’t break free of their hold. Helplessly, I watch as she lays on the cold stone, her legs spread wide.
“Fucking stop. Let her go,” I scream. “Take me instead.”
“There’s no instead, boy,” Orpheus says as he calmly stands there and observes us as though he’s bored. “You both will play a role in tonight’s ritual.”
The blue-robed bastard grabs Mackenzie’s bound hands, shoving them over her head and clamping them with the chains hooked to the altar, effectively holding them hostage.
“Chase,” Mackenzie wails, tears coursing down her cheeks. Amber eyes plead for me to save her, squeezing my heart and ripping it from my fucking chest.
Her despair and fear renew my strength, and I manage to kick one of the cult members, knocking him to his knee. But the third member comes up and wraps his arm around my throat, cutting off my air.
